THE STRONG TENSES.
s. 363. The strong praeterites are formed from the present by changing the
vowel, as _sing_, _sang_, _speak_, _spoke_.
The first point in the history of these tenses that the reader is required
to be aware of, is stated in the Chapter upon the Numbers, viz., that, in
Anglo-Saxon, several praeterites change, in their plural, the vowel of
their singular; as
Ic sang, _I sang_. We sungon, _we sung_.
Thu sunge, _thou sungest_. Ge sungon, _ye sung_.
He sang, _he sang_. Hi sungon, _they sung_.
As a general rule, the second singular has the same vowel with the plural
persons, as _burne_, _thou burntest_, plural _burnon_, _we burnt_.
The bearing of this fact upon the praeterites has been indicated in p. 300.
In a great number of words we have a double form, as _ran_ and _run_,
_sang_ and _sung_, _drank_ and _drunk_, &c. One of these forms is derived
from the singular, and the other from the plural. I cannot say at what
period the difference of form ceased to denote a difference of sense.
In cases where but one form is preserved, that form is not necessarily the
singular one. For instance, Ic f_a_nd, _I found_, we f_u_ndon, _we found_,
are the Anglo-Saxon forms. Now the present word _found_ comes, not from the
singular _fand_, but from the plural _fund_; although in the Lowland Scotch
dialect and in the old writers, the singular form occurs.
Donald Caird finds orra things,
Where Allan Gregor _fand_ the tings.--Scott.
Even in the present English it will be found convenient to {308} call the
forms like _sang_ and _drank_ the singular, and those like _sung_ and
_bound_ the plural forms.
Be it observed, that, though this fact accounts for most of our double
forms, it will not account for all. In the Anglo-Saxon, Ic spr['ae]c, _I
spake_, we spr['ae]con, _we spake_. There is no change of number to account
for the two forms _spake_ and _spoke_.
_First Class._
s. 364. Contains the two words _fall_ and _fell_, _hold_ and _held_, where
the sound of _o_ is changed into that of _[)e]_. Here must be noticed the
natural tendency of _a_ to become _o_; since the forms in Anglo-Saxon are,
_Ic fealle_, I fall; _Ic feoll_, I fell; _Ic healde_, I hold; _Ic heold_, I
held.
_Second Class._
s. 365. Here the praeterite ends in _-ew_. Words of this class are
distinguished from those of the third Class by the different form of the
present tense.
_Present._ _Praeterite._
Draw Drew.
Slay Slew.
Fly Flew.
In these words the _w_ has grown out of a _g_, as may be seen from the
Anglo-Saxon forms. The word _see_ (_saw_) belongs to this class: since, in
Anglo-Saxon, we find the forms _gese['a]h_ and _gesegen_, and in the
Swedish the praeterite form is _saag_.
_Third Class._
s. 366. Here an _o_ before _w_, in the present, becomes _e_ before _w_ in
the praeterite; as
_Present._ _Praeterite._
Blow. Blew.
Crow. Crew.
Throw. Threw.
Know. Knew.
Grow. Grew.
_Fourth Class._
s. 367. Contains the single word _let_, where a short _e_ in the {309}
present remains unchanged in the praeterite. In the Anglo-Saxon the present
form was _Ic laete_, the praeterite _Ic l['e]t_.
_Fifth Class._
s. 368. Contains the single word _beat_, where a long _e_ remains
unchanged. In Anglo-Saxon the forms were _Ic beate_, _Ic beot_.
_Sixth Class._
s. 369. Present _come_, praeterite _came_, participle _come_. In
Anglo-Saxon, _cume_, _com_, _cumen_.
_Seventh Class._
s. 370. In this class we have the sounds of the _ee_, in _feet_, and of the
_a_ in _fate_ (spelt _ea_ or _a_), changed into _o_ or _oo_. As several
words in this class have a second form in _a_, the praeterite in _o_ or
_oo_ will be called the primary, the praeterite in _a_ the secondary form.
_Present._ _Primary Praeterite._ _Secondary Praeterite._
Heave [48]Hove --
Cleave Clove [48]Clave.
Weave Wove --
Freeze Froze --
Steal Stole [48]Stale.
Speak Spoke Spake.
Swear Swore Sware.
Bear Bore Bare.
Tear Tore [48]Tare.
Shear [48]Shore --
Wear Wore [48]Ware.
Break Broke Brake.
Shake Shook --
Take Took --
Forsake Forsook --
Stand Stood --
-- Quoth --
Get Got [48]Gat.
The praeterite of _stand_ was originally long. This we collect {310} from
the spelling, and from the Anglo-Saxon form _st['o]d_. The process that
ejects the _nd_ is the same process that, in Greek, converts [Greek:
odont-os] into [Greek: odous].
All the words with secondary forms will appear again in the eighth class.
_Eighth Class._
s. 371. In this class the sound of the _ee_ in _feet_, and the _a_ in
_fate_ (spelt _ea_), is changed into a. Several words of this class have
secondary forms. Further details may be seen in the remarks that come after
the following list of verbs.
_Present._ _Primary Praeterite._ _Secondary Praeterite._
Speak Spake Spoke.
Break Brake Broke.
Cleave [49]Clave Clove.
Steal [49]Stale Stole.
Eat Ate --
Seethe -- [49]Sod.
Tread [49]Trad Trod.
Bear Bare Bore.
Tear Tare Tore.
Swear Sware Swore.
Wear [49]Ware Wore.
Bid Bade Bid.
Sit Sate --
Give Gave --
Lie Lay --
Get [49]Gat Got.
Here observe,--1. That in _speak_, _cleave_, _steal_, the _ea_ has the same
power with the _ee_ in _freeze_ and _seethe_; so that it may be dealt with
as the long (or independent) sound of the _i_ in _bid_, _sit_, _give_.
2. That the same view may be taken of the _ea_ in _break_, although the
word by some persons is pronounced _brake_. _Gabrika_, _gabrak_,
Moeso-Gothic; _briku_, _brak_, Old Saxon; _brece_, _brac_, Anglo-Saxon.
Also of _bear_, _tear_, _swear_, _wear_. In the provincial dialects these
words are even now pronounced _beer_, _teer_, _sweer_. The forms in the
allied languages are, in {311} respect to these last-mentioned words, less
confirmatory; Moeso-Gothic, _svara_, _b['a]ira_; Old High German, _sverju_,
_piru_.
3. That the _ea_ in _tread_ was originally long; Anglo-Saxon, _tredan_,
_trede_, _tr['ae]d_, _treden_.
4. _Lie._--Here the sound is diphthongal, having grown out of the
Anglo-Saxon forms _licgan_, _l['ae]g_, _legen_.
5. _Sat._--The original praeterite was long. This we collect from the
spelling _sate_, and from the Anglo-Saxon _s['ae]t_.
_Ninth Class._
s. 372. _A_, as in _fate_, is changed either into the _o_ in _note_, or the
_oo_ in _book_. Here it should be noticed that, unlike _break_ and _swear_,
&c., there is no tendency to sound the _a_ of the present as _ee_, neither
is there, as was the case with _clove_ and _spoke_, any tendency to
secondary forms in a. A partial reason for this lies in the original nature
of the vowel. The original vowel in _speak_ was e. If this was the _['e]
ferm['e]_ of the French, it was a sound from which the _a_ in _fate_ and
the _ee_ in _feet_ might equally have been evolved. The vowel sound of the
verbs of the present class was that of _a_ for the present and that of
_['o]_ for the praeterite forms; as _wace_, _w['o]c_, _grafe_, _gr['o]f_.
Now of these two sounds it may be said that the _a_ has no tendency to
become the _ee_ in _feet_, and that the _['o]_ has no tendency to become
the _a_ in _fate_.
The sounds that are evolved from the accentuated _['o]_, are the _o_ in
_note_ and the _oo_ in _book_.
_Present._ _Praeterite._
Awake Awoke.
Wake Woke.
Lade [50]Lode.
Grave [50]Grove.
Take Took.
Shake Shook.
Forsake Forsook.
Shape [50]Shope.
_Tenth Class._
s. 373. Containing the single word _strike_, _struck_, _stricken_. It is
only in the Middle High German, the Middle Dutch, the New High German, the
Modern Dutch, and the English, that {312} this word is found in its
praeterite forms. These are, in Middle High German, _streich_; New High
German, _strich_; Middle Dutch, _str[^e]c_; Modern Dutch, _str[^i]k_.
Originally it must have been referable to the ninth class.
_Eleventh Class._
s. 374. In this class we first find the secondary forms accounted for by
the difference of form between the singular and plural numbers. The change
is from the _i_ in _bite_ to the _o_ in _note_, and the _i_ in _pit_.
Sometimes it is from the _i_ in _bit_ to the _a_ in _bat_. The Anglo-Saxon
conjugation (A) may be compared with the present English (B).
A.
_Present._ _Praeterite sing._ _Praeterite plur._
Scine (_shine_) Sce['a]n (_I shone_) Scinon (_we shone_).
Arise (_arise_) Ar['a]s (_I arose_) Arison (_we arose_).
Smite (_smite_) Sm['a]t (_I smote_) Smiton (_we smite_).
B.
_Present._ _Praet.--Sing. form._ _Praet.--Pl. form._
Rise Rose [51]Ris.
Abide Abode --
Shine Shone --
Smite Smote Smit.
Ride Rode [51]Rid.
Stride Strode Strid.
Slide [51]Slode Slid.
Glide [51]Glode --
Chide [51]Chode --
Drive Drove [51]Driv.
Thrive Throve [51]Thriv.
Strive Strove --
Write Wrote Writ.
Climb Clomb --
Slit [51]Slat Slit.
Bite [51]Bat Bit.
On this list we may make the following observations and statements.
{313}
1. That, with the exception of the word _slit_, the _i_ is sounded as a
diphthong.
2. That, with the exception of _bat_ and _slat_, it is changed into _o_ in
the singular and into _[)i]_ in the plural forms.
3. That, with the exception of _shone_, the _o_ is always long (or
independent).
4. That, even with the word _shone_, the _o_ was originally long. This is
known from the final _-e_ mute, and from the Anglo-Saxon form _sc['e]an_;
Moeso-Gothic, _sk['a]in_; Old Norse, _skein_.
5. That the _o_, in English, represents an _['a]_ in Anglo-Saxon.
6. That the statement last made shows that even _bat_ and _slat_ were once
in the same condition with _arose_ and _smote_, the Anglo-Saxon forms being
_ar['a]s_, _sm['a]t_, _b['a]t_, _sl['a]t_.
_Twelfth Class._
s. 375. In this class _i_ is generally short; originally it was always so.
In the singular form it becomes _[)a]_, in the plural, _[)u]_.
_Present._ _Praet.--Sing. form._ _Praet.--Pl. form._
Swim Swam Swum.
Begin Began Begun.
Spin [52]Span Spun.
Win [52]Wan [53]Won.
Sing Sang Sung.
Swing [52]Swang Swung.
Spring Sprang Sprung.
Sting [52]Stang Stung.
Ring Rang Rung.
Wring [52]Wrang Wrung.
Fling Flang Flung.
Cling -- Clung.
[52]Hing Hang Hung.
String [52]Strang Strung.
Sling -- Slung.
Sink Sank Sunk.
Drink Drank Drunk.
Shrink Shrank Shrunk.
Stink [52]Stank Stunk.
Swink -- --
Slink -- Slunk.
Swell Swoll --
{314}
Melt [54]Molt --
Help [54]Holp --
Delve [54]Dolv --
Dig -- Dug.
Stick [54]Stack Stuck.
Run Ran Run.
Burst -- Burst.
Bind Band Bound.
Find [54]Fand Found.
Grind -- Ground.
Wind -- Wound.
Upon this list we make the following observations and statements:--
1. That, with the exceptions of _bind_, _find_, _grind_, and _wind_, the
vowels are short (or dependent) throughout.
2. That, with the exception of _run_ and _burst_, the vowel of the present
tense is either the _i_ or e.
3. That _i_ short changes into _a_ for the singular, and into _u_ for the
plural forms.
4. That _e_ changes into _o_ in the singular forms; these being the only
ones preserved.
5. That the _i_ in _bind_, &c., changes into _ou_ in the plural forms; the
only ones current.
6. That the vowel before _m_ or _n_ is, with the single exception of _run_,
always _i_.
7. That the vowel before _l_ and _r_ is, with the single exception of
_burst_, always e.
8. That, where the _i_ is sounded as in _bind_, the combination following
is _-nd_.
9. That _ng_ being considered as a modification of _k_ (the Norse and
Moeso-Gothic forms being _drecka_ and _drikjan_), it may be stated that _i_
short, in the twelfth class, precedes either a liquid or a mute of series
_k_.
From these observations, even on the English forms only, we find thus much
regularity; and from these observations, even on the English forms only, we
may lay down a rule like the following: _viz._ that _i_ or _u_, short,
before the consonants _m_, _n_, {315} or _ck_, is changed into _a_ for the
singular, and into _u_ for the plural forms; that _i_ long, or diphthongal,
becomes _ou_; that _e_ before _l_ becomes _o_; and that _u_ before _r_
remains unchanged.
This statement, however, is nothing like so general as the one that, after
a comparison of the older forms and the allied languages, we are enabled to
make. Here we are taught,
1. That, in the words _bind_, &c., the _i_ was once pronounced as in
_till_, _fill_; in other words, that it was the simple short vowel, and not
the diphthong _ey_; or at least that it was treated as such.
_Moeso-Gothic._
Binda Band Bundum Bundans.
Bivinda Bivand Bivundum Bivundums.
Fintha Fanth Funthum Funthans.
_Anglo-Saxon._
Bind Band Bundon Bunden.
Finde Fand Fundon Funden.
Grinde Grand Grundon Grunden.
Winde Wand Wundon Wunden.
_Old Norse._
Finn Fann Fundhum Funninn.
Bind Batt Bundum Bundinn.
Vind Vatt Undum Undinn.
When the vowel _[)i]_ of the present took the sound of the _i_ in _bite_,
the _[)u]_ in the praeterite became the _ou_ in _mouse_. From this we see
that the words _bind_, &c., are naturally subject to the same changes with
_spin_, &c., and that, _mutatis mutandis_, they are so still.
2. That the _e_ in _swell_, &c., was once _[)i]_. This we collect from the
following forms:--_hilpa_, Moeso-Gothic; _hilfu_, Old High German; _hilpu_,
Old Saxon; _hilpe_, Middle High German; _hilpe_, Old Frisian.
_Suillu_=_swell_, Old High German. _Tilfu_=_delve_, Old High German;
_dilbu_, Old Saxon. _Smilzu_, Old High German=_smelt_ or _melt_. This shows
that originally the vowel _i_ ran throughout, but that before _l_ and _r_
it was changed into e. This change took place at different periods in
different dialects. The Old Saxon preserved the {316} _i_ longer than the
Anglo-Saxon. It is found even in the _middle_ High German; in the _new_ it
has become _e_; as _schwelle_, _schmelze_. In one word _milk_, the original
_i_ is still preserved; although in Anglo-Saxon it was _e_; as _melce_,
_mealc_=_milked_, _mulcon_. In the Norse the change from _i_ to _e_ took
place full soon, as _svell_=_swells_. The Norse language is in this respect
important.
3. That the _o_ in _swoll_, _holp_, was originally _a_; as
Hilpa Halp Hulpum Moeso-Gothic.
Suillu Sual Suullum[^e]s Old High German.
Hilfu Half Hulfum[^e]s Ditto.
Tilfu Talf Tulfum[^e]s Ditto.
Hilpe Halp Hulpun Middle High German.
Dilbe Dalp Dulbun Ditto.
Hilpe Halp Hulpon Ditto.
Svell Svall Sullum Old Norse.
Melte Mealt Multon Anglo-Saxon.
Helpe Haelp Hulpon Ditto.
Delfe Dealf Dulfon Ditto.
4. That a change between _a_ and _o_ took place by times. The Anglo-Saxon
praeterite of _swelle_ is _sweoll_; whilst _ongon_, _bond_, _song_,
_gelomp_, are found in the same language for _ongan_, _band_, _sang_,
_gelamp_.--Rask's Anglo-Saxon Grammar, p. 90.
5. That _run_ is only an apparent exception, the older form being _rinn_.
The rain _rinns_ down through Merriland town;
So doth it down the Pa.--_Old Ballad._
The Anglo-Saxon form is _yrnan_; in the praeterite _arn_, _urnon_. A
transposition has since taken place. The word _run_ seems to have been
originally no present, but a praeterite form.
6. That _burst_ is only an apparent exception. Before _r_, _[)e]_, _[)i]_,
_[)u]_, are pronounced alike. We draw no distinction between the vowels in
_pert_, _flirt_, _hurt_. The Anglo-Saxon forms are, _berste_, _byrst_,
_baerse_, _burston_, _borsten_.
_Thirteenth Class._
s. 376. Contains the single word _choose_, in the praeterite _chose_; in
Anglo-Saxon, _ce['o]se_, _ce['a]s_.
* * * * *
{317}